Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Biden would veto proposed U.S. Senate resolution to end COVID national emergency -White House
President Joe Biden would veto a proposed U.S. Senate resolution that would terminate a national emergency declared in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said on Tuesday. Republican U.S. Senator Roger Marshall in September called for a vote to end the emergency declaration after Biden told CBS News in an interview that the pandemic was “over.”
Opioid overdose reversal drug likely safe for OTC use, says FDA
Opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone may be safe and effective for over-the-counter use in some forms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday, potentially paving the way for its use federally. The FDA would still require data on individual products from manufacturers for them to be available over the counter at a federal level.
Mexico to start vaccinating poultry to block bird flu variant
Mexico will start vaccinating birds in high-risk areas this week to prevent the spread of the highly contagious H5N1 strain of bird flu in the country, authorities said on Tuesday. Last month, Mexican authorities detected a severe H5N1 strain of avian influenza at a commercial farm in Nuevo Leon state on the border with the United States.
Georgia judge overturns state’s six-week abortion ban
A Georgia law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy cannot be enforced, a state judge ruled on Tuesday, handing a victory to Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups that challenged the restriction when it took effect this summer. Judge Robert McBurney of the Superior Court of Fulton County said the law was void at the time it was passed in 2019 under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, which established a federal right to abortion in 1973.
Biden requests $9.25 billion for COVID, $37.7 billion for Ukraine from Congress -officials
The Biden administration is asking Congress for $9.25 billion to fight COVID-19 and an additional $37.7 billion to support Ukraine in its war with Russia as part of a supplemental funding request, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The administration is also requesting $750 million to fight other infectious diseases and will be seeking additional money for natural disaster relief, the officials said.
FDA to review baby formula production rules to prevent bacterial illness
The U.S. health regulator said on Tuesday it would review guidance and rules about manufacturing infant formula as part of its strategy to prevent bacterial illness similar to Abbott Laboratories’ products this year. The Food and Drug Administration will also consider whether to establish a dedicated group of investigators and realign staff across two of its divisions to better support regulatory oversight of infant formula, among other measures, it said.
Britain’s NICE recommends against NHS use of 5 COVID treatments as not cost-effective
Britain’s agency that determines if medicines should be used in the National Health Service (NHS), has recommended stopping the use of five COVID-19 treatments, including Merck & Co’s antiviral pill for high-risk patients, citing cost-effectiveness concerns. The review, conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and published on Wednesday, is its first involving COVID-19 treatments as the pandemic enters a new phase.
Ugandan leader says anti-Ebola efforts starting to succeed
Uganda’s efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak were starting to succeed and the country has tightened restrictions in the outbreak’s epicentre to further slow the rate of infections, President Yoweri Museveni said on Tuesday. Two districts where the deadly haemorrhagic fever had spread previously were now free of the disease after they completed the 42 days – or two incubation cycles – of the virus without a case, he said in a televised speech.
China reports 20,199 new COVID cases for Nov 15 vs 17,909 a day earlier
China reported 20,199 new COVID-19 infections for Nov. 15, of which 1,623 were symptomatic and 18,576 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. That compared with 17,909 new cases a day earlier – 1,661 symptomatic and 16,248 asymptomatic, which China counts separately.
U.S. FDA authorizes Roche’s monkeypox test
The U.S. health regulator on Tuesday issued an emergency use authorization to Roche’s test for the detection of DNA from monkeypox virus in swab specimens collected from people suspected of the virus infection. The tests will be conducted on the Swiss company’s cobas systems, which can also detect HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses.
(With inputs from agencies.)
